


The Road Trip

by sunlitsteve



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Other, Roadtrip, steve a good big brother
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-17 03:14:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28842207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunlitsteve/pseuds/sunlitsteve
Summary: “And what if someone asks me who you are?” she gave him a look.“Jesus, Max! It’s not like I’ve kidnapped you or anything, just say I’m your brother or something. God.” Steve pushed her out of the car and she stuck her middle finger up at him before hobbling off to the toilets. Steve pulled a packet of camels and put the filter into his mouth. He didn’t have to pee all that bad so he’d go once he finished his cigarette, walking into the toilet area to wait for Maxine.
Relationships: Dustin Henderson & Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Robin Buckley & Dustin Henderson, Robin Buckley & Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington, Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington & Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Steve Harrington & Dustin Henderson, Steve Harrington & Maxine "Max" Mayfield
Comments: 4
Kudos: 20





	The Road Trip

**_I had a friend was a big baseball player_ ** **_  
Back in high school  
He could throw that speedball by you  
Make you look like a fool boy  
Saw him the other night at this roadside bar  
I was walking in, he was walking out  
We went back inside sat down had a few drinks  
But all he kept talking about was_ **

\----------------------------------------------------

The trunk of Steve’s car was closed with a slam. Steve had packed his bag and was ready to go to the gas station to pick up some driving snacks, top up on gas and then he was good to go, after picking up Max of course. Steve was nervous, he wouldn’t lie. He hadn’t spent much time with Max on her own before, so he was feeling a bit shifty, but he knew once he gave her the snacks, she’d warm up to him.

Steve pulled into the gas station near Melvald’s where Joyce used to work, and once he’d pumped gas and paid, he walked into the convenience store. Trying his hardest not to look like a creep, he stealthily followed a young girl into the candy isle, to try and get an idea on what sort of candy Max might like, since she’s not him and she’s also not Dustin. He silently cursed Dustin in his mind for choosing to ride with Robin, instead of suggesting they all ride together; apparently Dustin wanted girl advice from Robin instead of him, since Robin was a girl and also Robin _liked_ girls. He saw the young girl pick up a packet of milk duds, so he copied. She picked up some skittles, he copied. She turned around and gave him a weird look, and he smiled, before she burst out laughing. He laughed along with her; kind of relaxed, and actually paid attention to the candy around him. He sighed, and looked in his small, pitiful basket and decided to just get two of everything because, how can you go wrong with candy? He hasn’t heard that Max is allergic to nuts. Upon thinking that, though, he put the reeses peanut butter cups back. He didn’t want Max to die under his supervision.

Steve had the same issue down the chip isle, and again just decided to get two of everything, and walked to the counter looking like a child who had stolen his parents credit card. Donald (Joyce’s old manager) rang him up without even raising a brow. He was used to the party and their weird antics, so Steve just assumed he looked like he was stocking up for a dungeons and dragons night. Technically, he wasn’t wrong, the kids _did_ say they were having a dungeons and dragons week, since it was thanksgiving break, he just wasn’t sure that the parents knew that this week would be in _California_. He shoved all the snacks, drinks and candy into his car and braced himself to pick up the young redhead. He had a perfect road trip playlist that he had planned and stayed up a few nights ago making it, hoping Max would like it. He pulled down onto Old Cherry Lane as the clock hit 8am. He knew Max’s parents were both at work, but he killed his engine and walked to the door. Before he knocked, he remembered Dustin’s warning:

“Max’s stepdad _hates_ it when **boys** knock on the door for her. You gotta use her window.”

Steve withdrew his fist before rapping it on the door and walked around the side of the little house to Max’s window. He tapped it lightly a few times before the blinds were pulled up and Max stuck her head out of the window.

“Why didn’t you just use the door?”

“Dustin told me your stepdad doesn’t like it when they come knocking.” Steve shrugged.

“No, he just doesn’t like _Lucas_ coming knocking. Are you ready to go?” She asked Steve, flinging her skateboard out of the window and almost knocking flat out dead.

“Uh, yeah, are you?” Steve caught the sleeping bag she aimed at his face.

“Help me out?” Steve’s eyes widened, what did she mean?

“What?” He asked.

She answered him by rolling her eyes, climbing on the windowsill and throwing her luggage bag at him.

“How is this helping?!” Steve yelped as the bag landed on his foot and he’d only just recovered from the skateboard disaster.

“Because now I can jump down without landing on anything valuable.”

“You’re lucky you live in a single-story little house.” Steve huffed, picking up Max’s belongings and walking back to the car.

Max worked her shorter legs faster to keep up with him, and when he offered her the sleeping bag/rolled up duvet/blanket thing that she’d shoved at him, she accepted, and bundled herself up before jumping in the front seat. Steve placed the rest of her stuff in the trunk along with his and made sure the snacks were still okay in the back footwell before he hopped into the driver’s seat. He could see max was trying to get comfortable, but she was struggling.

“Pull the seat back, if you’d like.” He spoke out into the quiet ambiance.

“I can do that?”

“Yeah, there’s a bar just underneath. Should move you back a few inches if you wanted to get comfy.”

“Thanks.” She smiled softly, and Steve reached behind him to the back seat and produced a pillow.

“It’s clean, I haven’t like, drooled on it or anything.” He handed it to her, and she accepted.

“Steve! This is like, the comfiest pillow?” Steve laughed because half of that statement was muffled, as Max had already buried her face into it. “Do you mind if I nap?”

“You go right ahead, I’ll be here.” He smiled at Max before pulling onto one of the main roads leading out of Hawkins.

Steve turned his mixtape on and put the volume low, before taking a sip of his mountain dew and accelerating out of the town for the week. He thought back on what happened over summer, forming an extremely unlikely alliance with Robin, after she’d essentially harassed him at work when they’d first started working together. He laughed as he remembered how brutal she was.

_“You’re Steve Harrington.” She’d said, and he gulped._

_“Yep, that’s uh, that’s me.”_

_She looked him up and down, and scoffed, and instantly Steve felt like this job was going to become his living nightmare. As long as, you know, the mind flayer didn’t go around and start infecting people with its mind control **bullshit** again. He extended his hand out to Robin to shake hers, and she just looked at his hand before brushing past him to the counter area. He laughed as it reminded him of Max and Eleven, and as far as he was concerned, they weren’t even friends yet, so he wasn’t holding out much hope for Robin suddenly becoming his best pal. He thought he recognised her from somewhere, but he wasn’t sure where, but she looked like the type of kid who used to bite. _

_That theory got confirmed when she threw ice cubes at him during their break._

Steve had been driving for about an hour or two when Max started to stir. She’d kicked her shoes off in her sleep and she’d snored up a whole storm. He caught her as she woke up and blinked her eyes owlishly, scrubbing furiously at her face. She stretched and yawned, and Steve tried _so desperately_ hard not to laugh because somehow, her hair had puffed up in her sleep and she looked like a tiny ginger tabby cat. She came to terms with the world as she finally allowed consciousness to take her over, and then her voice broke the music.

“Steve?”

“Yeah?”  
  
“I... gotta pee.” 

“Okay, I’ll pull over at the next stations. You hungry yet?”

“Not hungry, thirsty though. I’ve got money; I can get something when we stop.”

“Nonsense. Reach around back, there’s a couple of bags, by a couple I mean like maybe 7 or 8? I didn’t know what you liked so I got it all.” Steve took another sip of his mountain dew to hide the smirk that was slowly growing on his face as Max reached around and pulled the bags to the front, rooting through to see what Steve bought.

“Steve! This is a lot! Let me give you something when we stop.” She insisted but Steve wouldn’t hear of it and he just waved her off as he indicated that he was turning into the lane that would lead them to the service station so he and Max could relieve themselves and he could buy himself a coffee. He pulled into the parking lot and before he allowed max to get out of the car he gave her a 15 minute window. He didn’t want her to get lost or stolen by some random man.

“I’ll be waiting outside the bathroom for you, then we can go get a coffee, okay?”

“And what if someone asks me who you are?” she gave him a look.

“Jesus, Max! It’s not like I’ve kidnapped you or anything, just say I’m your brother or something. God.” Steve pushed her out of the car and she stuck her middle finger up at him before hobbling off to the toilets. Steve pulled a packet of camels and put the filter into his mouth. He didn’t have to pee all that bad so he’d go once he finished his cigarette, walking into the toilet area to wait for Maxine.

He leaned against the wall as he watched people come and go, tall people, short people, slim people and wider people, but the ones who weirded him out most were the tall, wide men who just wore wife beaters that showed off their stupid arm tattoos and jeans that looked like they hadn’t been washed in weeks. He finished his cigarette and walked through the door where the waiting lounge was and he thought he heard Max’s voice.

 _“No, I’m not on my own.”_ The response was muffled, and Steve couldn’t hear, but the voice was low.

 _“I’m with my brother!”_ Steve heard max’s voice more clearly as she raised it, going from zero to hysterical screaming in less than a second, and Steve walked towards the ladies’ room door; “Max?”

“Steve!”

“You good in there?”

“Uh, yep! Coming out now. Are you ready to go?”

“Yep, I’ll go at the next one. Come on.” Steve stood waiting for Max to emerge and when she did, she looked panicked, so Steve put his hands on her shoulders and steered her away towards the car.

Max didn’t say anything as she got back into the car, and Steve just sighed as he lit himself yet another cigarette, half a mind had him thinking to offer one to Max, but he decided not to, unless she hadn’t calmed down at that point and _then_ he would offer her one, but only at that point. He put the car in drive and flicked the ash off his cigarette out of the window that he had wound down, and as they drove past the exit, he saw a man look at Max and Max tensed up.

“Max, are you alright?”

“That was my dad.” She said in a small voice.

“In the bathroom?”

“No, that was just some random lady who was trying to kidnap me, I think. The man we just drove past, that’s my dad.”

“When did you last see him?” Steve asked, running a hand through his hair and putting the cigarette between his lips. “Could you pass me my sunglasses out of the glove compartment, please?”

“I last saw him when mom left, he tried fighting for me I think, there were some court dates, but I don’t remember. He’s not well.” Max rummaged around the glovebox for Steve’s glasses and pulled out a box of his mixtapes. “These all yours?”

“I’m sorry to hear about that, Max. I really am. Yeah, they’re all mine. You wanna put one on?” He asked and she grinned.

“I’m prepared to laugh at your music taste, Maestro. You forget, I grew up with Billy as a musical influence.” Steve laughed. She chose a mixtape and Bruce Springsteen’s _Glory Days_ erupted through the speakers.

“I love this song!” Steve yelled, and he turned the music up loud.

“ _Why?”_ Max laughed as Steve started singing very badly.

 **“** **I had a friend was a big baseball player** **, back in high school!”** Steve sang and Max was laughing, before she decided to help Steve out.

 _“He could throw that speedball by ya, make you look like a fool, boy!”_ Steve was shocked because he wasn’t aware that Max could actually sing.

They drove like that for a while, not talking but singing, (or screaming in Steve’s case) and they were comfortable. Max personally really enjoyed the fact that Steve had ABBA and Madonna on his mixtape, but she couldn’t help but wish that it was Billy she was driving with instead of Steve. She liked Steve, even though she’d only ever seen him in passing and had heard about him through Dustin, but Steve felt safe, he felt warm, like a nice living

room filled with people on a cold winters’ day. She still felt awkward around Steve, scared to do anything wrong in case he told Dustin that she was annoying or in case he grabbed her and yelled at her like Billy used to. She looked over as Steve was singing _Old Time Rock & Roll _by Bob Seger and she smiled. She felt safe. Steve would protect her if she needed him to.

Steve caught Max looking at him through the corner of his eye and he smiled softly, feeling like he’d made a connection with the young redhead like he had done with Dustin. As much as he complained, he did enjoy spending time with Henderson, even though he didn’t understand anything Dustin ever said. Mike never made him feel welcome though, when Dustin invited him to hang out, but Steve understood why, he was his older sisters’ ex-boyfriend and he’d tried to stop them in helping to save both Will and El, so he got it. He really did.

As the hours passed, Steve grew more fatigued, and Max grew bored of pointing out every single cow she saw as they drove on the highway. Steve tried to stifle his 6th yawn, but Max caught him.

“You’re tired, Steve.”

“What? No, no I’m not.” Steve said, and instantly yawned again.

“Did you _seriously_ think you could do this whole drive in one day?” Max accused.

“I’ll be honest I didn’t listen to what Robin said about travel time.”

“Luckily, I did.” She grabbed her backpack from the back seat where she’d left it after Steve pulled over to take a leak on the side of the road because he didn’t want to risk Max getting approached by random people again, especially with the information they held against the government. She pulled out a map that Robin had highlighted their route on, and she connected the road signs to where they were on the road.

“What does the map say?”

“Okay, so if you drive for another 30 minutes, we should be coming up to a motel after the next left junction, Robin circled it a lot so I’m assuming that’s where her and Dustin will be pulling in to rest and sleep, does that sound okay?” Max bit her lip, she didn’t want to force the idea of a motel onto Steve, knowing how skittish he actually was after the events of the summer and the last two years catching up on him, so she didn’t want to make him do anything he wasn’t comfortable with, but she also didn’t want him falling asleep at the wheel and crashing the car and them _dying_ before she could see El, so if she had to force him to take a nap, she would. She didn’t even care, if she had to press his pressure point to make him pass out, she would. She had no regrets anymore.

Steve pulled down to the small motel on the side of the road and to both Steve and Max’s relief, they saw Robin’s car in the parking lot. They both pulled out their overnight bags and the snacks and walked into the motel lobby.

Steve dinged the bell on the reception desk and a small, spindly looking man came out, and he instinctively pulled Max closer to him without realising.

“Can I help you?” the man croaked out, looking at the pair of them suspiciously.

“Hi! Yeah, my friend checked in earlier, I was just wondering if we could get the keys to their rooms?” Steve asked, and the man raised his eyebrow.

“Name?”

Max tugged on his sleeve as she saw the man about to press some form of button that would probably inform the police and Steve mentally cursed Dustin yet again for not riding with him, because now he looked like a kidnapper. Luckily, he didn’t have to answer the names as Robin and Dustin walked through the door from the rooms hallway and greeted them.

“Steve!”

“Henderson!”

“Young lady, do you know these people?” the receptionist asked Max, and she nodded.

“That’s my older brother, Steve.” She smiled at the man as he nodded but wasn’t happy with the answer as he gave her the keys to two separate rooms.

“Okay, Max, you can either room with me or Robin, or Steve,” Dustin said as he took Max’s bags like the gentleman Steve had tried teaching him to become.

“I’ll room. With you, _Dusty-bun_ , IF you promise to give me your rendition of the song.” She stuck her tongue out at Dustin who just looked horrified.

“Max, you get settled in, then come knock on our door and we’ll go across the road for dinner? There’s a diner there, and I could use some actual food.” Robin suggested, and Max nodded, food did sound good.

**Author's Note:**

> let me know what you thought on twitter! @sunlitsteve


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